Congratulations to all the nominees in this category. I've gotten to meet many of the nominees at various TBLGQ community events over the years like the upcoming LGBT Media Convening in Orlando. We bloggers are committed to doing the research and hard work to ensure that you readers have quality, informative blogs for you to peruse, enjoy, and get you to think about issues that affect our community and the world.

During the recent Creating Change in Philadelphia, I ran into one #CC17 attendee who told me she's been reading my blog since she was 11 years old, and ran into others who have thanked me for doing what I do to keep you informed not only about my trans community, but the world at large.

The GLAAD Media Awards will be held in two separate ceremonies. One is taking place on April 1 in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton and the other in New York on May 6 at the New York Hilton Midtown

We'll see it this is the year I finally get that elusive for me Outstanding Blog award and make a little history at the same time.

Was happy to see that the National Association of Social Workers/ Texas Chapter has released a statement opposing the introduction of SB 6, The Texas Transgender Oppression Act.

***

NASW/TX is dismayed by the introduction of Senate Bill 6 (SB6) into the Texas State Legislature and the consistent approach by legislators supporting this bill to mislead the general public. This is continually being done by falsely portraying transgender people as a threat to personal privacy and the safety of women, children. Additionally, this bill serves to invalidate transgender identities and regulate sex and gender stereotypes in areas of public accommodation. Although supporters of this bill deny that it targets transgender people, if passed, this legislation would have harmful impacts on the mental health, physical health, and overall well-being of transgender Texans. This population of Texans is estimated to be the second largest transgender population in the United States1. The NASW/TX Chapter is committed to resisting unjust legislation such as SB6 by working with transgender community members, experts in the field of gender affirmative care, and our allies across professions. NASW/TX is committed to inform providers, educators, legislators, and the public at large of the adverse outcomes associated with discriminatory policies that further marginalize communities of diverse gender identities and expressions.

SB6 discriminates against transgender Texans in the following ways:

- Denies transgender people equitable access to appropriate (i.e. in accordance with gender identity) bathrooms and changing facilities in government buildings, public buildings, public schools, and universities by enforcing use of facilities based on “biological sex” as “stated on a person’s birth certificate.”

- Requires school districts, local governments, and state agencies to adopt a policy in which bathrooms are designated for and used by people according to their “biological sex” and enforces civil penalties if a person is in violation of these bathroom policies.

- Nullifies and invalidates existing local ordinances guaranteeing equitable access to public accommodations for transgender persons.

- Allows residents to submit written complaints regarding perceptions of public accommodation violations, which would therefore launch an investigation by the Texas attorney general.

While there have been no instances of transgender people entering areas of public accommodation to harm others, well established empirical evidence highlights alarming rates of discrimination and violence faced by transgender people in private and public domains. According to the largest national transgender survey to date (N=27,715), 59% of transgender people avoid public restrooms at work, school and other areas due to fear of confrontation. In addition, 31% of transgender people forgo drinking or eating in efforts to avoid restroom use. Barriers to restroom access lead the majority of transgender people (54%) to experience damaging health outcomes such as dehydration, kidney infection, and urinary tract infections. Some (10%) even experience adverse educational outcomes such as absences and dropping out of school due to lack of access to public accommodations matching their gender identity. Finally, denial of access to restrooms in accordance with gender identity is known to be significantly associated with detrimental mental health outcomes such as suicidality among transgender persons.

The NASW Code of Ethics charges social workers with responsibilities to clients, colleagues, and the broader society. This charge includes efforts to eliminate discrimination, oppression, and other forms of social injustice among groups including transgender people, who are referred to by the phrase gender identity or expression throughout the Code9. Social workers are called to focus these efforts in areas of Cultural Competence and Social Diversity, Respect, Discrimination, as well as Social and Political Action.

NASW/TX is proud to support and affirm civil rights for all and cannot support the discrimination against any group of Texans. Based on the content of SB6, empirical evidence regarding the impact of discriminatory policies on the lives of transgender people, and the directives of the NASW Code of Ethics, it is clear that SB6, if passed, would be detrimental for transgender and gender expansive Texans.

Therefore, NASW/TX opposes SB6 and urges social work practitioners and students in the state of Texas to take action to ensure this bill is not passed and transgender people are protected.

Thank you NASW Texas for standing up for our community and your fellow Texans. .

Monday, January 30, 2017

Some good news today from an unexpected source in the Boy Scouts of America.

The BSA has had a longstanding ban on transgender people joining the Cub and Boy Scouts by determining eligibility based on the gender listed on the birth certificate.

They have announced that they will now base eligibility for joining the Cub and Boy Scouts on the gender listed on the application.

This is probably being driven by the case of transmasculine child Joe Maldonado. He was expelled from a Cub Scout chapter in New Jersey because of his trans status, and his family is contemplating a lawsuit for violation of New Jersey's human rights law in which gender identity is a protected class.

Whatever made the BSA change their minds on their trans policy, it was overdue and necessary.

Just a reminder to you TransGriot readers and H-town peeps that I will once again be a guest on Queer Voices along with Jeffry Faircloth to talk about the Kim Burrell controversy and whatever other topics we can squeeze in during the time I'm scheduled to be interviewed.

KPFT-FM is our local Pacifica radio affiliate with a colorful history. Its transmitter was bombed twice by the Klan, and yours truly used to be one of the rotating co-hosts from 1999-2001 on the After Hours show hosted by the late Jimmy Carper.

So coming to the Montrose area studios of KPFT-FM is like coming home, and I enjoy any time I get to spend behind the mic there.

For those of you in the Houston area, KPFT-FM is at 90.1 FM on your radio dial and at 89.5 FM in the Galveston area. For those of you who don't live in the Houston area but would like to hear this latest Queer Voices episode, here's the link to the livestream of it.

Over my lifetime I've heard people talk about the 60's, the wide range of protests that were happening at the time from the African-American Civil Rights movement to the Vietnam War to Stonewall, and wonder what they would have done if they had been alive or old enough to act during that time period of protests.

We are now in a moment in which you will be in a real time situation to put up or shut up about where you stand in times of challenge or controversy like the 60's were. This Trump mispresidency is one of those times, with its daily outrages and attacks on human rights.

This is a moment that will be recorded in the history books for future historians to peruse and debate, and also a moment in which your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews will ask what did you do to resist the Trump regime?

In the last week I've participated in more protests than I have in the last eight years of the Obama Administration combined, and have a feeling because of this unjust fueled by racist ignorance administration there will be more of those in my future.

This is your time to decide whether you will be a human rights hero defending our constitution or be a human rights zero that silently sits on the sidelines and allows the Trumpistas to trample on the Constitution and our human rights

So I ask you again. Are you going to be a human rights hero or human rights zero?

Choose wisely, because the fate of the United States depends on your answer.

I was at Houston Intercontinental Airport last night along with 2000 people in Terminal E's international arrivals hall protesting Trump's Muslim ban.

Sad that this man has only been in office 9 days and his mispresidency is already a massive fail on many fronts.

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has commented on the Trump Muslim ban that the GOP has been cricket chirping silent about, and here's what she had to say about it.

"I am heartbroken that today President Trump is closing the door on children, mothers and fathers fleeing violence and war. I am heartbroken that America is turning its back on a proud history of welcoming refugees and immigrants — the people who helped build your country, ready to work hard in exchange for a fair chance at a new life.

I am heartbroken that Syrian refugee children, who have suffered through six years of war by no fault of their own, are singled-out for discrimination.I am heartbroken for girls like my friend Zaynab, who fled wars in three countries — Somalia, Yemen and Egypt — before she was even 17. Two years ago she received a visa to come to the United States. She learned English, graduated high school and is now in college studying to be a human rights lawyer.

Zaynab was separated from her little sister when she fled unrest in Egypt. Today her hope of being reunited with her precious sister dims.In this time of uncertainty and unrest around the world, I ask President Trump not to turn his back on the world’s most defenseless children and families."

Yes ma'am, it's sad that after all the hard work that President Obama has done to restore America's good name around the world after it was sullied by President GW Bush, that another Republican know nothing POTUS that is disliked around the world is once again racistly hell bent on ruining it again.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

I am blessed to know more than a few lawyers and have several friends who are either judges, in law school or are studying as we speak to take the bar exams in various states.

With this unjust and racist Trump misadministration now in place, this is a time in which we have misguided people pushing unconstitutional white supremacist policies, and they need to be called out and confronted on it..

The folks who are practicing constitutional, immigration, civil and criminal law are now since 12:01 PM EST on January 20 the most important people in our country. They are the people standing between our Constitution and the Trump administration conservafools who wish to ignore, trample on it and rip it up.

They are the domestic enemies of freedom and democracy we have been warned about since childhood, and they must be confronted and utterly defeated.

That's where dedicated lawyers come in. They use their legal acumen to do just just that. So are the organizations like the ACLU, the Transgender Law Center, TLDEF, GLAD, The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association and countless other legal organizations across this nation who are gearing up for what is shaping up to be a challenging four years .

They will be the people doing battle in the SCOTUS, courtrooms across the nation and even onsite at protests to ensure the human rights of people and their clients are respected and protected.

So if you know a constitutional, immigration, or criminal lawyer, hug them and give them much love and respect. We need to appreciate them for being the human rights warriors they are and have historically been.

If you are a student currently in law school or are a law school graduate about to take the bar exam, you are also getting much love and respect from me at this time as well.

While the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and civil rights marchers were doing the direct action protests it was attorneys like Charles Houston, Constance Baker Motley, and Thurgood Marshall who did battle in courtrooms across the nation to take down Jim Crow segregation and fight for our humanity and human rights,

Our attorneys will be vital over the next four years in defending human rights and the humanity of marginalized citizens.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Dee Dee and I joined a group of our fellow Houstonians at 2 PM CST who protested Lt. Governor Dan Patrick when he was invited by Houston Crime Stoppers to their dedication and ribbon cutting for their new headquarters building named for longtime Houston TV news anchor Dave Ward.

While we were respectful to other speakers including Dave Ward, who all of us grew up watching and is a beloved media icon here, we had no such love for our oppressive lieutenant governor, and we let him have it when he stepped to the mic.

He was visibly disturbed when we booed him and yelled 'Flush SB6' and 'No hate in the Lone Star State" among the other slogans we yelled at him while he was at the podium.

We obviously got on the nerves of someone besides Dan Patrick, A white male attendee walked over to our protest group standing on the sidewalk off the property to complain we were 'ruining the occasion'. I said in response "The time is always right to talk about human rights" while others in our group pointed out before HPD pulled him way from us that if Crime Stoppers wanted a drama free ribbon cutting, they shouldn't have invited the polarizing lieutenant governor of this state to speak.

Once that event was over, I went a few blocks north up San Jacinto Street downtown to the Harris County civil courts building on Caroline Street to watch the investiture ceremony in the packed ceremonial courtroom on the 17th floor of my good friend Ursula Hall, who is now judge of the 165th Civil Court.

She was elected in the wave of Democratic judges we swept into power when we flipped Harris County blue on November 8. Many of those newly elected judges were in attendance at her investiture ceremony that started at 4 PM.

The Hall family in Houston is well respected in Black Houston. Her father Anthony Hall, Jr, was a Houston city councilmember who ran and narrowly lost a 1978 US Congressional race to succeed Barbara Jordan to Mickey Leland.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis were just two of the local political luminaries who spoke at her investiture ceremony.

The ceremony had me in tears at one point, and Judge Halls' speech had a line in it that I have been pondering ever since I left it and returned home.: '

"To whom much is given, much is required."

It was a joy to watch someone I have known for years and has served as a Houston municipal judge finally get elected to a state bench and I was happy to be there to witness it.

Friday, January 27, 2017

You have probably heard a lot about SB 6, the so called Women's Privacy and Business Protection Act sponsored by Sen Lois Kolkhorst at the behest of Lt Governor Dan Transphobe Patrick that I call the Texas Transgender Oppression Act.

The reprehensible clone of North Carolina's HB 2 was recently introduced by Kolkhorst and Patrick to oppress Texas trans people and use them as a vehicle to strip the ability of Texas cities to write human rights laws that protect their citizens.

I have called SB 6 an unjust law, and here ate the reasons why I am adamant about that and will continue to do so until it is dead.

We have as of this time and in this 85th Texas legislative session no out trans people who are elected representatives in the Texas House or the Texas Senate where this bill is originating

SB 6 was specifically compiled to dehumanize, denigrate and oppress a group of Texans in transgender people that the Republicans have committed to in their party platform to oppress.

SB 6 was compiled with no input from the Texas transgender community, and they have ignored our pleas for them not to do so.

SB 6 because it punitively attacks a minority group, is a law that degrades the personalities of Texas transgender people and does not uplift their humanity, and that makes it in Kingian terms, unjust.

SB 6, by forcing trans people to use locker rooms and bathrooms that don't match their gender presentation as a way to dehumanize them and subject them to further societal abuse and possible anti-trans violence, is also unjust because it takes away an individual's or a group's freedom, causes real harm to transgender Texans and causes chaos instead of harmony

SB 6 is unjust because frankly, would Sen Kolkhorst obey her law and go to the men's room when she presents and lives in society as a female? If you Senator, are not willing to do what you are attempting to compel Texas transgender women to do, then your proposed law is unjust

SB 6 is an unjust law that would, as already has been proven in North Carolina, cause economic harm, negative tension, damage its tourism industry, and dehumanize transgender people

SB 6 by multiple measures is not only an unjust law, but it must die in this session and never again be brought up for consideration.

During the unveiling event for this year's Houston Pride logo and the theme for this year's parade,they also announced the names of the people who are the finalists for the Male,, Female and Ally parade Grand Marshals.

Being named as a Grand Marshal of the Houston LGBT Pride Celebration is among one of the highest honors bestowed by the Houston’s LGBT community. Individuals and organizations nominated for Grand Marshal have made significant achievements for LGBT rights and have made considerable contributions to the LGBT community at large.

They also once they are officially voted in, get to ride in the nice cars at the start of the parade and wave to the crowds along the now downtown parade route. Our parade is also a nighttime parade because it happens in late June and it can be rather warm here at that time of year..

Last year I marched in the Houston Pride Parade for the first time ever with the OLTT trans Latinas, and this year, I was nominated as a Female Grand Marshal finalist. for the first time. Lou Weaver has been nominated for the second time for Male Grand Marshal finalist with the voting to start in two weeks .

Both of us have a shot at making some Houston TBLGQ community history. If Lou wins he would become the first ever trans masculine Houston Pride Parade Grand Marshal

In my case, if elected, I'd become the first ever Black trans feminine Grand Marshal, the third trans feminine one after Phyllis Frye (2006) and Jenifer Rene Pool, (2012) and the third Black female one after Carolyn Mobley (1993) and Fran Watson (2016)

Congrats to everyone who was nominated for Houston Pride Grand Marshal this year. Will keep you TransGriot readers updated on whether or not I make that history and when the voting starts for it.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

The 2017 Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season, and for the first time since 2003 ,the Williams sisters will be facing off against each other for the title.

We Black folks in the States think this is a BFD, but if you ever wondered how this news is playing out across the rest of th African Diaspora, check out what a Nigerian based TV station is saying about the looting championship match starting at the 1:13 mark.

Venus had the tougher match to get to final, facing giant killer Coco Vandeweghe, who took out defending champ Angelique Kerber

She hadn't dropped a set enroute to this semifinal match with Vandeweghe, but after the first set got away from her in the tiebreaker , she rebounded to break Vandeweghe and cruise to a 6-2 win to even the match, and then uncorked several aces enroute to taking the third set and the match.

Venus wins it 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-3 to punch her ticket to the final and shots at her first Australian Open title and eight Grand Slam title overall

Meanwhile Serena was facing off against surprise semifinalist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia, and she took only 50 minutes to cruise to a 6-2, 6-1 straight set victory and set up she and Big Sis first clash in a Grand Slam final since the 2009 Wimbledon.

She hasn't dropped a set in this tournament, and Little Sis will not only be playing for her seventh Australian Open title and her 23rd career Grand Slam title win but if she wins will reclaim the world number one ranking.because of Kerber's early exit from this tournament.

While I was at Creating Change, the opening performance of the Paul Lucas written play Trans Scripts, Part 1: The Women debuted on January 19.

It is an original play crafted by Lucas and directed by Jo Bonney from interviews conducted with 75 diverse people from six continents around the world who identify as trans. Those 75 trans people varied in age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, educational level and age at transition and sheds light on our stories.

It's also wonderful to note that the American Repertory Theater is producing it.

The play also features several trans actors playing these roles that includes Eden Lane, Bianca Leigh, MJ Rodriguez, and Marlo Bernier just to name a few of the people in it.
For people who have seen the play at the Loeb Theater Center on the Harvard University Campus, , here are their reactions to it.

For of you in the Boston metro area, you still have time to see Trans Scriptsand check it out before February 5

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

My fave tennis playing siblings are just one match away from meeting each other in the Australian Open Finals for the first time since 2003. They are also the only seeded players left standing in the women's singles bracket as we reach the Australian Open women's Final Four.

The other thing we can pop our collars about as American tennis fans is that we are guaranteed of at least having one American woman in the final, since three of the four player remaining are Americans.

Two of the three Americans left are the Williams Sisters who for once are on opposite sides of the bracket.

13th seeded Venus has rolled through her side of the bracket without dropping a set, and it didn't hurt that some major seeds that were in that half of the bracket fell, including tournament number one seed and world number one (temporarily) Angelique Kerber.

Big Sis in her quarterfinal match beat Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to punch her ticket to the semifinals against fellow American Coco Vandeweghe, who took out another seeded player by beating 7th seeded Garbine Muguruza of Spain in straight sets 6-4, 6-0.

Meanwhile on the other side of the bracket number 2 seeded Serena handled her tennis business against number 9 seed Johanna Konta of Great Britain, who until she faced Little Sis was on an impressive Australian Open run of her own.

Konta not only hadn't dropped a set enroute to this clash with Serena, but had sent to the Aussie Open sidelines number 17 seed Caroline Wozniacki and 30th seeded Ekaterina Makarova to get to face Serena for the first time ever.

Serena dispatched her in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 despite having a subpar for her service game while breaking Konta four times at critical points in the match.

And who will Serena play next? It will be Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who upset 5th seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to make her first Grand Slam semifinal since Wimbledon 1998.

Serena is playing not only to win her 23rd Grand Slam title and her seventh Australian Open, but with a win in this tournament, she would regain the world number one ranking. Venus would be should she knock off Vandeweghe, playing for her first Australian Open title.

Well, y'all know who I want to win on Thursday. Let's hope we get to see it happen and we get treated to another Williams Sisters Grand Slam final.

In the latest version of #AlternativeFacts Texas Style , Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) tried to tell the lie that SB 6, or as I call it The Texas Transgender Oppression Act is 'not about the transgender ' or aimed at us.

Bull feces. The Texas Republican Party has made hating transgender people part of their 2016 party platform, so yeah, it IS about us.

Oh, you didn't hear about that? Lois just to refresh your memory since you, Dan Patrick, Ken Paxton and your party are busy up in Austin wasting our tax dollars and legislative time in this session oppressing trans people.

Ahem, from the 2016 Texas Republican Party Platform:

Gender Identity — We urge the enactment of legislation addressing individuals’ use of bathrooms, showers and locker rooms that correspond with their biologically determined sex.

This anti-trans plank was in the section of the Republican Party platform entitled Educating Our Children:

Facility Utilization-We support public school facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms and showers being reserved for the use of students based on biological birth gender.

So yes, Lois, you and your party are pushing anti-trans oppression, and you need to stop lying about it. Transphobic discrimination is not a Texas value, and is such a bad look for you.

It may also result in loss of your Senate seat. Ask Debbie Riddle and Gilbert Pena how well attempting to oppress Texas trans people worked for them in their respective 2016 House reelection bids.

One of the things we are going to need now more than ever during this Trump regime is trans people telling their stories in the media.

Gigi Gorgeous and I crossed paths when I was in San Francisco to accept the award I received at the GLAAD Gala last September. While she was slaying the red carpet, I was quietly observing everything that was going on with a wine glass in my hand and Angelica Ross at my side for that moment knowing that my moment to shine was coming later.

Our opportunity to meet each other didn't happen because after my GLAAD Gala speech, it was my turn to have folks surrounding me to chat, congratulate me for the award and getting my thoughts about the looming election. so unfortunately an opportunity for me to meet, talk and get to know her was lost.

If it's meant to happen, we will cross paths again.

Frankly I didn't know much about the 24 year old Canadian YouTube star and model until that evening. Once I returned home to Texas I hit Google and started doing the research about her and her transfeminine journey. It was fascinating watching some of her videos and learning that she had a following of over 1 million subscribers on YouTube since she started her channel in 2008.

Now YouTube Red is about to release a documentary on her entitled This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous that tells the story of Giselle Lazzarato's trans journey, and here's the extended trailer for it.

In the movie she talks about how YouTube became her therapist and journal where she posted her thoughts, and also discussed her thoughts about being denied entry into Dubai last summer because of her trans status.

The documentary debuts in select theaters on February 3 and on YouTube Red February 8

So Bernie, Stein and Johnson voters, after four days of this disastrous presidency that is worse than I even foresaw, I have one question for you.

Do you still delusionally think that Hillary Clinton is 'worse than Trump'?

Hey, Clinton, her supporters President Obama and yours truly tried to warn y'all before November 8, but y'all were all into your foaming at the mouth Hillary hate and your fee fees. Well, your irrational hatred of her and third party votes are going to cost us all the progressive progress we've made

You had the right to vote third party and cast your votes however you wished to do so. But 2016 was not the year for a protest vote or trying to dismiss what Hillary, President Obama and others were saying on the campaign as 'scare tactics'.

Monday, January 23, 2017

I'm starting to see people in liberal progressive world wanting to give Melania a pass for being married to and repeatedly dissed by Twitler.

But just like her reprehensible hubby, Melania's not getting any love from me, especially after TransGriot reader Vanity Wilde pointed me to this April 20, 2011 interview on the Joy Behar Show in which Melania went all in like her hubby on the birther attacks on President Obama starting about the 1:52 mark of this interview..

Kinda ironic that the same POTUS she attacked back in 2011 was the one classily rescuing her from that real time embarrassing situation broadcast around the country and the world when her deplorable hubby dissed her on Inauguration Day.

So naw Melania, you're NOT my FLOTUS either You gets no love from moe or my people for attacking the legitimacy of the twice duly elected President Obama.

You wish you could be a FLOTUS who could walk in Michelle's double Ivy League degreed pumps.

I'm now back in the Houston area after spending a few days at this year's edition of the Task Force's Creating Change Conference in Philadelphia. It was a 29th annual Creating Change that up until about two weeks before it happened, I was seriously thinking about after attending the last three consecutive Creating Change events in Houston, Denver and Chicago and being part of the Host Committee for #CC14 not coming to Philadelphia for #CC17.

Philadelphia also happens to be a city that is near and dear to my heart, because I received my 2006 IFGE Trinity Award here and I've been since 2013 in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection for two LGBTMedia events (2013,2015) and two Philly Trans Health Conferences in 2012 and 2016.

The drama filled experience in Chicago along with the jacked up protest of the NBJC Black Institute I called out later (and I'm still pissed about) was part of the reason I was reluctant to come this year.

Because of the Trans United Fund event, the TUF leadership meeting scheduled during #CC17 and being asked by NBJC's Isaiah Wilson to participate in this year's The Black Institute, that finally pushed me into the 'I'm attending it 'ranks along with TUF Board Chair Hayden Mora telling me my voice, thoughts and attendance were needed and necessary.

And I'm glad I did. I also got to destroy a few Slurpees in the process since there was a 7 Eleven right across the street from the convention hotel.

On my ATL-PHL flight I ran into Dee Dee Chamblee, who was seated ten rows from me. I stepped off the Delta plane after our 5:35 PM arrival but lost track of her. After collecting my checked bag I ran into a group of students from Portland who were eagerly here for CC17 at the Terminal D SEPTA train platform.

After getting off the train, I immediately headed to the hotel room that Angelica Ross and my Houston homegirl Nikki Loyd were sharing to drop off my bags before heading to the TUF meeting we were having at the host hotel to finalize some last minute planning or the fundraising event at Philadelphia City Hall.

When I walked into that Marriott Downtown meeting room with Angelica and Nikki and saw my trans siblings from around the country and as I found out the world in Mat and Tiana from Zimbabwe, it was a reminder why I come to conferences and events:. I go to see old friends like Danielle King and meet new ones like Daye Pope.

With me now going into my 19th year of award winning advocacy for trans people in addition to being the founding editor of a now 11 year old award winning blog, the days of me walking around any convention space for longer than ten minutes incognito are long gone.

I ran into Sunnivie Brydum and a friend of hers moments after taking that post meeting photo with the TUF peeps, and while trying to get to the DoubleTree to get my bags so I could go check into the Hilton Gardens where I was staying, immediately ran into Cecilia Chung.

After running into her, tried to tip past the bar area where folks were congregated and ran into many friends there like my fellow Texans Omar Narvaez, Ashton Woods and the lovely Geneva Musgrave, and ran into Isaiah at the exit door. I also ran into several students who recognized me from different speeches or who were fans of TransGriot that night and over the next several days.

While I was waiting to sort out a problem with my Hilton Gardens reservation, Louis Mitchell spotted me while walking past the hotel from a late night food run and kept me company until it was resolved.

The love I got enveloped in while walking the CC17 host hotel over those next several days didn't hurt either, especially in light of the fact that we were literally in the last two days of the Obama presidency and about to see the dawning of a Trump presidency hostile to us.

The Thursday Trans United Fund event at the Philadelphia City Hall on Thursday evening was chock full of symbolism.

I thought about the fact that we were owning our political power as trans people in the city in which the Declaration of Independence was crafted and signed at Independence Hall several blocks away from where our event was taking place with a trans pride flag on the flagpole outside the building.

We were comprised of amazing trailblazing leaders in their own rights like Melissa Sklarz, Sharron Cooks, Danni Askini, Andrea Jenkins, Bamby Salcedo, and Mama Bear DeShanna Neal with her lovely trans feminine daughter Trinity. Some of the brothers were also there in support like Sean Coleman and Rev. Yunus Coldman

It was also great seeing Philadelphia's LGBT Liaison Nellie Fitzpatrick, Cathy Renna and getting to have all those conversations with the attendees during that fundraising event. It was also wonderful to finally meet and get to talk to Danni Askini in the flesh after years of doing so on FB.

TUF was also holding this event on the last night of the Obama Administration, who will go down in American and TBLGQ history as the best president ever on trans issues.

Since my job during CC14 in Houston was to be co chair of the committee helping put together the People of Color Hospitality suit, I'm always interested in seeing how other Creating Change host cities accomplished the task of setting up their hospitality suites in preparation for the next time Houston gets to host Creating Change.

Once I was done with my portion of the NBJC Black Institute morning programming, I headed to the POC, Bi-Panfluid, Transgender and Elder suites that were located on the sixth floor of the hotel.

In the Bi suite I ran into Stacey Langley, new Bi-Net president Lynette McFadzen (who I met and roomed with during CC15), and other amazing folks in those Thursday and Friday excursions up to the suites.

We aren't always talking politics in those hospitality suites. The conversations can also be about pop culture discussions to blood family acceptance or lack thereof. Some CC17 attendees are playing cards or board games as they wait for breakfast, lunch or dinner to be delivered to the suites.

And yes, for you CC vets, they are still vegan.

Speaking of dishes, nice segue into moi dishing out in the Transgender Hospitality Suite a trash talking filled dominoes butt kicking to a New Jersey based activist who has promised me he'll be ready for me when #CC18 roll around.

Good luck with that Kwame. Love ya and enjoyed our conversation, but Mama Moni still has dominoes skills that will be sharpened over the next 11 months.

You've been warned BTAC and every other conference I get to attend in 2017. Be afraid.

The Elders suite had a TBLGQ Philadelphia history display set up. I ran into during my visit to check it out Barbara, one of the trans elders I met during my LGBTMedia13 visit to Philly at the John C Anderson LGBT apartment building for low income LGBT seniors.

Barbara was one of the local volunteers staffing it, and it was wonderful reconnecting with her again..

But the best part of any Creating Change event is being able to not only talk to the elders that preceded me in paving the way for my generation of TBLGQ activists, but the young people for who this is their first Creating Change, who see you as their elder, and get the intergenerational conversations going that we need to have happen.

I had an interesting discussion on Friday with one CC17 attendee who let me know she'd been reading TransGriot since she was 12 years old. I had more than a few people stop me in the halls during my time there who recognized me either from the blog, previous events, conferences or panels and tell me how much they loved TransGriot, dropping some knowledge in a panel, or appreciated me doing the necessary work to advance our shared human rights struggle.

Friday morning Rebecca Kling, Brynn Tannehill and I talked to two of Bear Bergman's students about the trans rights movement and our parts in it. Bear later sent me a message about how excited they were to meet us and went on about it for hours.

I was supposed to leave Saturday, but the fog at PHL airport that hugs the Delaware River killed that and forced me to stay an extra day at Creating Change, something I wasn't disappointed about. But because of my travel back and forth from the host hotel to the airport, I missed the local Women's March that some of the CC17 attendees participated in and Sharron spoke at.

I also got to spend some more quality time with my Birmingham based sister Daroneshia Duncan, who graciously let me crash in her hotel room since I'd checked out of mine at the Hilton Gardens earlier that day..

After dinner at Chili's, swinging by the Boomers Dance with Daroneshia and sitting in the bar area chatting with various people until nearly 2 AM, I reluctantly left the Marriott Downtown host hotel for the last time to get a little sleep for my rebooked 7:35 AM departure back to Houston via the ATL

That meant no Sunday closing plenary or brunch for me this time.

Thanks Philadephia Host Committee for putting together a wonderful event. I'm glad I came. Coming to #CC17 helped me realize once again all the positive reasons why I have loved this conference ever since my first one in Oakland back in 1999.

I'm eagerly anticipating being at the 2018 edition of it in Washington DC. Hopefully by that time CC18 happens I'll be able to go to the African American History Museum in addition to seeing all of you peeps there again at our TBLGQ family reunion
.

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About The TransGriot

Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award nominated blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate. She's the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate.
She works to foster understanding and acceptance of trans people inside and outside communities of color and was recently honored with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award

TransGriot Blog Mission Statement

The TransGriot blog's mission is to become the griot of our community. I will introduce you to and talk about your African descended trans brothers and trans sisters across the Diaspora, reclaim and document our chocolate flavored trans history, speak truth to power, comment on the things that impact our trans community from an Afrocentric perspective and enlighten you about the general things that go on around me and in the communities that I am a member of.

--Mission Statement compiled January 2, 2011

The TransGriot Loves Comments

Feel free to leave comments on the posts. But bear in mind that you are guests in my cyberhome. As soon as I get to them, your comments are posted at my pleasure.

They will post as soon as I approve them, so no need to repeat sending them.

I strive to make it a safe zone for people to respectfully express themselves, but I have zero tolerance for hate speech, transphobic or blatantly disrespectful comments or ad spam.

I reserve the right to edit your comments for clarity or not post them at all.

2014, 2017 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Blog Finalist

2011 BWA Best LGBT Blog Finalist

2010 BWA Judges' Vote Winner Best LGBT Blog

2015-2017 NLGJA Member

TransGriot Speaking/Education Efforts Info

The TransGriot is available for speaking engagements, college lectures, panel discussions, media interviews, conferences or Trans 101 education efforts for your school, business or professional organizations.

For local Houston area, Texas or national events, you can e-mail me at transgriot@yahoo.com

For events outside the Houston metro area, I ask that my travel and lodging expenses be covered.

This is separate from my speaking fee.

If you are interested in having me appear as a speaker or panelist, you can e-mail me with the date and details of your proposed event.

Please book as early as possible because my speaking and event calendar slots during the year rapidly fill up.

CMBA Disclaimer

This personal blog allows me to express my constitutionally guaranteed First Amendment free speech rights and kick knowledge to y'all at the same time on various issues.

Nothing in it shall be construed, spun, remixed, altered or interpreted to mean it represents the views of my employers or the boards of the organizations that I sit on.

Photos and videos posted to this blog are used for illustrative purposes only and unless noted in the post or linked article, photos/videos don't indicate or are not intended to imply the person depicted in said photo/video is transgender